[Through the Book] The ancestor only wants to live a long life

While Yun Shu was suffering from mental torture in Tingheyuan, Rong Enqing was also repeatedly frustrated in social activities in Tingfengyuan.

Nowadays, there are etiquettes for attending banquets. Basically, those with lower official positions or those who have close relationships with the host family arrive first. The later the people arrive at the banquet, the more noble their status and position tend to be.

So, when Princess Anyang arrived, most of the people attending the banquet had already arrived.

As the host, Rong Enqing also went to Tingfengyuan to entertain the guests accompanied by Zhang.

However, although Rong Enqing was of high rank and was the master, few people would actually give her face.

When she entered, the hall was already full of people, but only a few people of lower rank than her stood up and saluted her.

Most of the others just nodded at her as a greeting. Some didn't even look at her. They ignored her completely.

When she sat down in the main seat and was about to strike up a conversation with the old lady on her left, the old lady turned away and started talking to the person next to her.

Seeing this, Rong Enqing turned to look to the right. Just like that, the old lady on the right also turned sideways to chat with the person next to her when she looked over.

One could say it was just a coincidence, but since both of them were like this, it could only be said that the other person was simply not prepared to give her face.

The seating arrangement for today's banquet was also very particular. As a lady of the highest rank, Rong Enqing was also the host, so it was no problem for her to sit at the main seat.

On her left was Mrs. Yu, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, and on her right was Mrs. Meng, the wife of Cabinet Minister Zheng.

One side represents the nobles, the other side represents the court officials.

It’s a pity that neither side paid any attention to Rong Enqing.

Rong Enqing didn't care. She smiled and glanced at the people present, and found that more than half of them avoided her gaze.

Most of the rest just nodded expressionlessly or slightly pulled the corners of their mouths in response when their eyes met hers.

In a hall filled with more than fifty people, only a handful of them showed kindness to her.

She looked at where those people were sitting and found only one that was a little closer to the front. Rong Enqing took a rough look and thought that it should be the family member of a third-rank official.

The remaining few people were sitting at the end near the door. They were probably the families of fifth-rank officials.

Just as Rong Enqing was thinking about these people, two of the people who expressed goodwill towards her stood up and came to her.

Both of them looked to be in their thirties. They saluted Rong Enqing with a smile and stated their identities straight away.

One was the wife of the Junior Minister of the Guanglu Temple, surnamed Wu. The other was the wife of the Doctor of the Ministry of Works, surnamed Zhang. Both were of the fifth rank.

Rong Enqing did not despise the two men for their low status. He greeted them with a gentle attitude for a while, and then turned the topic to the purpose of their visit.

"Do Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Zhang have anything to tell me?"

The two looked around and said shyly, "May I ask Madam for a moment to talk?"

Rong Enqing was also very curious about what the two wanted to see him about. So he smiled and said, "It's boring to sit here alone. The maple leaves in this yard are turning red. It's a good time to enjoy them. Why don't you two go with me to see them?"

"That's great!" The two responded with a smile.

Rong Enqing was about to stand up when he heard Madam Yu from the Zhenguo Mansion suddenly ask Wu and Zhang: "What are you going to say to Madam Rong in secret? Why are you doing it behind her back? Isn't it said that there is nothing that cannot be said to others?"

Rong Enqing was stunned. What the hell? Is this the wife of a super-first-class Duke's Mansion? Is she so unrefined?

At this moment, Madam Meng, the wife of the elder, also looked over with a smile, "I'm also very curious, tell us about it."

As soon as these words were spoken, many people present turned their eyes over here.

Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Zhang looked at Rong Enqing with embarrassment. Rong Enqing frowned and suddenly felt that things might be getting worse.

Sure enough, Mrs. Yu said in a seemingly joking but actually aggressive manner: "I am an old woman with a strong curiosity. If I don't understand what you are talking about today, I am afraid I won't be able to sleep when I go back. Come on, tell me."

"Tell me about it, it's not something shameful."

"That's right, is it really something shameful?"

"Oh, that's hard to say."

……

Everyone was talking and bullying the three people.

Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Zhang had already started to sweat coldly and looked at Rong Enqing with pleading eyes.

Rong Enqing was in a dilemma. From the looks of Wu and Zhang, it was clear that they didn't want to say what they wanted to say in front of others. But everyone was unwilling to give in.

Although he was angry, he could do nothing for the moment.

She should have considered these difficulties before holding the flower banquet.

Sighing silently, Rong Enqing no longer hesitated and said to the two with a smile: "I am also very curious about what you two ladies want to say to me. Since everyone wants to know, why don't you two tell us?"

As soon as Rong Enqing finished speaking, both of them looked a little embarrassed, but after looking at each other, they both nodded.

Wu wiped the sweat off her forehead and said with a smile, "It's nothing, actually. I just heard today that there is a fifth young lady who has reached marriageable age in Shun'an Marquis's Mansion but has not yet found a husband, so I wanted to find a matchmaker for the fifth young lady."

Zhang also smiled and agreed, "That's what I meant."

Rong Enqing felt a little relieved. Fortunately, although this kind of thing was not easy to bring to the table, the people present were all elders, and it was not unusual to talk about the child's marriage.

Madam Meng said strangely: "This is a good thing, why do you have to hide it from others?"

Madam Yu's eyes rolled, as if she had thought of something, and she asked with great interest, "Who is the person you want to tell the fifth young lady of Shun'an Marquis's Mansion about? Tell us the name. There are so many of us here, so we can help Madam Rong with some advice."

Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Zhang's faces froze. Just as they were about to refuse, they heard the crowd start questioning again.

Forced by the situation, Wu finally said, "My eldest uncle's youngest son is twenty years old this year and has passed the imperial examination. Although he is a few years older than the fifth young lady of the Marquis's Mansion..."

Before Wu finished her words, someone interrupted and asked, "Isn't your brother from your mother's side a widower? I remember he has a two-year-old son."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar.

Wu's family only relied on Wu's good marriage to change their status and let the boys in the family start to study, barely labeling them as scholars. But everyone knows that Wu's family has never produced anyone with ability over the years, and has always relied on the Wu family to make a living.

Such a family shouldn't have any desire for the daughter of the Marquis's Mansion, not to mention that Wu's brother is a widower whose wife has died and already has a son. This is simply a hell!

He dared to say it out loud only because he was relying on his title as a scholar and seeing that Yun Shu was a concubine's daughter, he wanted to plot against her out of delusion. What if he succeeded?

However, with the man's family background and situation like this, speaking out about it would be an insult to the Shun'an Marquisate!

If this matter gets out, it will be hard for Yun Shu to find a good marriage partner. I am afraid that whenever someone mentions Yun Shu's marriage, they will think of the kind of person she had arranged to marry. It will be disgusting to talk about it!

Listening to everyone's discussions, Mrs. Wu's face turned pale and she was so embarrassed that she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Rong Enqing's eyes also narrowed, and he looked deeply at Wu.

I thought this person was showing kindness to me, but I never expected that he had such dirty thoughts.

No matter what, Yun Shu is also a daughter of a marquis. How could she be looked down upon like this?

Needless to say, the family Zhang was talking about was definitely not a good one.

Sure enough, under everyone's questioning, Zhang also hesitantly said the person she wanted to matchmake with: "... my cousin's only son, my cousin's husband is an experienced official in the Ministry of Public Administration..."

It sounds better than the last one, at least it's a family with official status. A seventh-rank official is also an official, right?

Some people were still wondering why Zhang looked so guilty, when they heard someone say, "Isn't the wife of the Tongzhengsi official a money-grubber?"

"That's right! It is said that she has been looking for many families for her son, and she always asks them how much the dowry is! She is only willing to give a small betrothal gift, but she wants the girl to bring a generous dowry."

"That's right. I heard that the experienced lady had told the matchmaker that the betrothal gift from her family would not exceed two hundred taels, but the bride's dowry must be more than one thousand taels. Do you think this is too much?"

"Tsk tsk, who are these people?"

……

"I heard that the fifth young lady of Shun'an Marquis's Mansion has a dowry of 10,000 taels! Isn't she being targeted like a meat bun?"

"Tsk tsk, even though she's a concubine's daughter, the dowry is really huge!"

“I just don’t know if it’s true.”

……

The discussion among the crowd continued, but Rong Enqing only felt anger boiling in his heart.

How contemptuous must one be to put two such people on the list of candidates for the husband of a young lady from a noble marquis's mansion!